Arcane Composer Alex Seaver details how Season 2’s Heimerdinger musical sequence became one of the show’s most detailed yet rewarding sequences. Netflix’s hit animated series is based on League of Legends video game counting the story of two sisters torn between two warring states and the rise of a mysterious and powerful new technology. In ArcaneHeimerdinger (Mick Wingert) is the dean of the Academy and head of the Piltover council, who is attracted to Hextech’s emerging potential, despite being wary of the untold potential it could have.
With Arcanethe story finally resolved, Seaver opened up to Screen speech about the surprising moments of episode 7. Enhancing Heimerdimger’s performance in the alternative and more prosperous Zaun, he revealed that in addition to recording Wingert’s performance, he also worked with voice actors in 25 other countries to localize the track.
“The Heimerdinger song in episode seven. It’s one of those where only Arcane would do something so crazy, but it would actually do it well. And we had Mick Wingert, Heimerdinger’s fabulous voice actor, he sang it so beautifully. That’s what we didn’t really announce, but we translate and record the music in all 25 languages the show is localized in. So everywhere in the world right now, if you’re in France and you’re uploading the episode, you’ll get it. French voice actor sing the song in French. And if you’re doing it in Malaysia, and if you’re doing it in Brazil, we haven’t even mentioned it, but this is happening silently right now on my computer I have demos of 25 countries times all the different singers. .
Seaver explained that League of Legends developer Riot wanted to ensure they created a moment that would be well received by audiences around the world. Despite the undertaking, he was pleased with the experience and the opportunity to work alongside the localization team.
So it was a lot of work, but I think this was one of the coolest moments of this season. It’s crazy. We have great partners who help us with localization in general. Voice casts for all countries are very important to Riot. It’s not something disposable. It’s like they care who the cast is in China, who the cast is in Germany, and who the cast is everywhere. And then this same principle came to whoever is going to sing this Heimerdinger song. And it was fun for me. I don’t really deal with the localization team. A lot of times, when I’m writing a musical note, the voice actors have already recorded it. So it was really cool to be on top of their process and then work with them to ensure a great musical result.”
What Heimerdinger Season 2’s Music Adds to Its Story
The character had to learn about a world he neglected
With Ekko (Reed Shannon), Heimerdinger and the audience transported to another universe in Arcane In the final volume of season 2, the audience was able to see a new side of the character. Arriving three years before Ekko manifested, Heimerdinger had time to invest in the timelineproviding you with incredible familiarity with the environment and those who live there.
With this early arrival, Heimerdinger’s arc has been concluded after being set up when the first season aired. Whether due to his perspective being altered by his long Yordle life or his initially irreverent perspective on the struggles between Piltover and Zaun, being able to walk among the people allowed him to meet Ekko and see the truth about the balance of the world. By the time his journey ends with potential self-sacrifice, Heimerdinger is grateful for his new lease on life, and his calm music in episode 7 is an excellent showcase of his new nature.
Our thoughts on Heimerdinger’s arcane journey
The character’s brief performance helped show his growth
While he may have played more of a supporting role to Ekko, Jayce (Kevin Alejandro), and Viktor (Harry Lloyd), Heimerdinger was given a fully developed journey throughout Arcanethe two-season run. While his nature as a Yordle may mean Heimerdinger could have survived, your story feels complete.
As such, the care that Seaver and Riot took in ensuring their musical moment in season two would resonate around the world and helped her journey feel more definitive. With Arcane already being praised for its stellar animation and storytelling, many can expect to see other champions receive similar treatment in future series exploring Runeterra.